MMR - did it !

[NicoleKidmanSuperFan]

So I have been struggling for over two years on whether I should get my son vaccinated with the MMR second dose. He had the first dose at 14months and even then I would worry. I know it's laughable to some people as it's a proven that there's no link to autism but I won't lie it still used to get to me.

I know I did nothing amazing but I'm feeling proud that I took my son to have the second dose finally today and he is now protected. Just wanted to encourage anyone who's struggling to do it too. The longer people delay the longer you think about it which leads to silly scenarios in your head and dangers of exposure to measles irl.

So far he's been fine, not even a fever. Praying it all stays okay.

I understand this post sounds silly and people are quick to laugh at the fear but that study did more harm then people realise.

I had absolutely no hesitation in getting my DD all her vaccinations but I do appreciate that some people feel real fear - not just over possible side effects but also struggle to see their child briefly upset.
Anyway, it’s well documented that doing the right thing is difficult so well done you for putting your child’s health first

Well done you for putting your son’s health first! I know it’s daunting, even the idea of your baby being ‘hurt’ by the needle for a few seconds used to send shivers down my spine with my first. I never had the same worry you did about autism (weirdly, he is diagnosed autistic but not at all linked to the mmr jab) and honestly even if your DS was autistic, you’ve never known him to be any different so the love you have for him never would change, autistic or not. Well done for beating down that anxiety and pushing through. You’re a good mum!

@Mammma91 thank you. I totally forgot to mention the main thing is that my son is autistic and was diagnosed at 4 years old. He is talking and advanced in academics but still struggles socially and behind in conversational milestones. My irrational fear was this jab could impact that although again there is no reason why it would.

The point of this post is that there are a lot of people still struggling to take this vaccine then society realises because of one damaging revoked study. My post is to encourage anyone feeling like this to go ahead and just do it like I have as you feel so relieved after.

Thank you for being brave enough to reconsider and get the second jab. Our 4 year old only recently got their first MMR because they have been immune suppressed since tiny, and it wasn't safe for them to be vaccinated. It's a huge relief to know they are partially protected now, but we've been relying on other people being vaccinated in the meantime. It's terrifying when even a cold can land a child in intensive care on oxygen. Something like Measles would be devastating.

Well done. My son has had all vaccines bar that. He has a language delay, has been assessed by the NHS for ASD with a report of "autistic traits but below the threshold for a diagnosis" and I'm terrified to trigger something
Can anyone please point me to any study showing that nothing comes out with the jab when there is a predisposition?

@depressed2 bless you and thank you for sharing your feelings. I've never read any study where it says it can actually trigger autism. I think infact all studies said there was no evidence for this as it's one of those things - if it's going to happen it'll happen, we just don't know it does. I really would say to you nothing will happen and thats more of a fear of yours by possibly reading wrong info?

The only thing I did different was I gave the MMR first then the men/dip etc a month later when DS was 14months. This time around I did the same thing - MMR 2 and then a month later he'll have the pre school booster polio, tetanus etc. That's because I would rather have 3 in 1 (mmr has 3 parts) in one day rather than 6 in 1 as DS's cousin had a very sore leg and couldn't walk for a day after the 6 in 1. A private doctor actually said to me splitting them this way is good as it is less vaccines in the body at a time and easier on the body. The reason why they do them all together is people miss or don't bother going back for vaccines so it's better to do them in one visit. Again the GP and other doctors have told me 6 in 1 is fine so really this is just me being extra paranoid but if it means my child gets all his vaccines and I'm calmer I'll do it.

The reason for this post is just to support any parent as I remember the conundrum of this whole thing driving me crazy and it's really hard. I sympathise with parents with this dilemma and wish some of us didn't worry so much and sometimes mumsnet can be mean. If something is irrational it becomes ridiculed. I hope everyone and their beautiful children stay healthy and safe always.

@Mmr224 oh I'm so happy to hear that your DS got the first dose. The first dose I hear offers the most protection anyway so it's nice you can relax a little bit. You don't want to mess with measles so that's amazing. Thank you for your reply

@SadieContrary thank you for understanding the fear and being kind. Some mums must have it harder with this particular fear and I think compassion and education is key not being mean as I've seen before on here.

There is absolutely no connection between autism and MMR. It was some very bad science by someone that forgot the golden rule of science - correlation is not causation

A big part of the original theory was babies have the mmr and then develop symptoms of autism. However the time of the symptoms appearing was a typical time for a child to display symptoms of autism. You could probably look at the data set of when children display symptoms with their first tastes of chocolate or when they switch from formula/breastmilk to cows milk. Just because something happened after something else happened doesn't mean the two are linked and this is the crux of the conspiracy behind the mmr.

@NicoleKidmanSuperFan I cannot bear mum shaming. We all have our foibles, fears and idiosyncrasies- but if we accept that and avoid judging then we will be able to meet in the middle far more often.
After all, our commonality is that we love our kids and want the best for them.

ALL the studies show that there is no link between MRR and autism. I do remember reading a theory that the MMR sparked autism in those predisposed to autism such as those with autism in their family, but as we know that autism is overwhelmingly a genetically inherited condition it was not the MMR causing the autism, it was the parent's genes.

@SadieContrary thanks for this, well said.

This can be said till everyone is blue in the face but the fact remains that there are a HUGE number of autistic kids now. Way way way more than there were in 1970s and 80s. I need to hear an explanation to this explosion in autism numbers. If it isnt MMR then what is it?

Good on you @NicoleKidmanSuperFan.

Definitely exposure to McDonald's. Just going past it causes all sorts of problems. Avoid going within two roads of any McDonald's. They're nearly 15 times more prevalent than it was in the 70s/80s... and that's similar proportions to autism diagnosis from the 80s to now.

That's just as a logical conclusion, except it hasn't been looked at in as much detail by the scientific community.